There are many traditions in many cultures for Christmas Eve, including attending services and Mass and, for many, sitting down to a special meal, referred to by many as the "Holy Meal" or "Holy Supper."
For people in some eastern European countries, the Christmas Eve meal is a reminder of faith, culture, ethnicity and nationality that links the past with the present.
For Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian cultures, the Christmas Eve supper is a 12-dish event, with each meatless dish representing one of the 12 apostles. In Lithuanian, the supper is called "Kucios"; in Polish, it is "Wigilia" or "Wieczerza wigilijna"; in Ukrainian, it is "Sviata vecheria"; and in Russian, it is "Sochevnik" or "Solchenik." In some parts of Poland, the Christmas Eve supper consists of 13 dishes.
Those holy day eve traditions came to the United States during the major immigrations in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, and in many homes the meals are as important as going to a Midnight Mass or a Christmas Divine Liturgy to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
For members and friends of the Knights of Lithuania Anthracite Council No. 144, the Kucios is celebrated ahead of time each year. This year's holy supper was held Dec. 9 in Annunciation BVM Church hall, Frackville. Although it is held early in December, the dinner reminds those who grew up with the Christmas Eve tradition of its importance, while providing the younger generations with a lesson in the celebration with the hope that it will be carried on for generations to come.
Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas Judge John E. Domalakes, Frackville, is well-versed in the Kucios tradition, having celebrated it throughout his life.
"Kucios is something that is celebrated in Lithuania. It's not something like boilo, which they never heard of in Lithuania, although they do have honey-based drinks," Domalakes said. "It has ethnic and religious aspects. The tradition is that on Christmas Eve, you are not supposed to eat anything until the first star comes out."
After seeing the star and a toast, the youngest Lithuanian in the room brings a figurine of the baby Jesus to be placed in the manger in the Nativity scene under the Christmas tree.
"There is straw underneath the linen tablecloth that represents the straw in the manger."
Each table had a large Christmas wafer called "plotkeles." Made of bread and water similar to a Communion host, the wafer is passed around the table, with each person breaking a piece from it. The head of the family begins the meal with a prayer of thanksgiving for past blessings and a wish that the family would remain intact for the coming years. When the plotkele is passed around, each person wishes each other good luck and health.
Then it is time to eat, with the 12 different foods served, all which must be sampled.
"Everyone at the dinner are supposed to partake of the 12 different types of food, each of which has some symbolic importance," Domalakes said. "There is an empty chair at the table for the dear departed. After the saying of grace, the head of the household acknowledges the empty chair and those family members who participated in past Kucioses who are no longer with us. Then, the plotkeles are distributed and a piece is broken off while saying 'Linksmu Kaledu' (Merry Christmas in Lithuanian)."
When the meal begins, everyone should at least taste each of the dishes for good luck.
Some of the dishes served are:
- Salty herring, for the distasteful things to come.
- Dry peas in the shape of tears, for the sad things in life.
- Prunes, representing the rough and difficult road everyone must travel.
- Bread, to signify plenitude of sustenance.
- Fish (usually whiting, haddock or other white fish), to signify Christ as represented by the first Christians in the catacombs.
- Boiled potatoes, to signify the humble and uneventful lives everyone must be ready to lead.
- Sauerkraut, representing the good and bad all must accept.
- Sweet wine, for the sweetness and joy experienced by the coming of Christ.
- Red beet soup, though served warm rather than cold.
- A fruit compote .
- A porridge of oat flour, mixed with water and the crust of rye bread, called "kisielius." Cranberries can be added to give color and flavor.
- Poppy seed milk called "aguonu pienas," which is served with small, round balls of dough.
There are some variations to the menu, depending on the preferences in different areas of Lithuania. One popular addition is Lithuanian farmers cheese.
"We usually serve lettuce with shrimp and cocktail sauce," Domalakes said, referring to a family tradition. "The meal ends with cookies and toasts with boilo."
After the Kucios, each member of the family places a piece of straw for every kind deed or gracious word said during the holidays into a cradle, which is put under the Christmas tree.
Anna Klizas Wargo, Saint Clair, has been enjoying the annual Kucios with her family as long as she can remember. Wargo, 87, learned the tradition when she was growing up and has continued it ever since.
"We still have one at home," Wargo said. "All my grandchildren, nieces and nephews will be here. That's about 14 this year, though sometimes there are 16. We start the dinner with the traditional prayer and plotkeles, then we get into the food. I've been doing this all my life. My mother was the one who did it and after she passed away, I took over."
When asked about the most important part of Kucios, Wargo immediately said it is "family." "It's a family thing. It just has to be," Wargo said. "As long as I'm living, it will be here at my home."